Steven I. Frenkel Appointed New Chairman of Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group
April 11, 2022
Cummings & Lockwood is pleased to announce that Principal Steven I. Frenkel has been appointed the new Chairman of the Firm’s Litigation Group, effective April 11, 2022. He will replace John W. Cannavino who has served in that position for 18 years.
Based in the firm’s Stamford office, Mr. Frenkel began his legal career at Cummings & Lockwood as a Summer Associate in 1988 and then officially joined the firm as a Litigation Associate in 1989, becoming a Principal in 1998. During his long tenure with the firm, he has been a member of the Board of Directors several times, including currently, as well as served on the Partner and Associate Compensation Committees.
As the incoming Chairman of the Litigation Group, he brings with him over 30 years of trial, arbitration and mediation experience in the areas of commercial and business litigation, creditors' rights and asbestos defense. He represents corporations, financial institutions, insurance companies and individuals. Mr. Frenkel also serves as national asbestos counsel to a major oil petrochemical company and as regional defense counsel to a number of global and national firms.
He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, his B.A. cum laude, from Yeshiva University and is admitted to practice law in Connecticut and New York. He is a member of the Fairfield County Bar Association, a Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, a member of The Raymond E. Baldwin American Inns of Court, and a member of the Defense Research Institute. He and his wife, Lynne, live in Stamford, Connecticut, and have two sons, Jared and Andrew.
“We are very pleased that Steve has agreed to serve as Chairman of our litigation practice,” noted Laura Beck, Chairman and Managing Director of Cummings & Lockwood. “Not only is he an outstanding litigation attorney, but he has strong leadership and management skills and is a great team player, all of which make him extremely well-suited for the role. John Cannavino, who has 45 years of experience in complex commercial litigation representing both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts and in arbitrations, has served the firm well during his tenure as Chairman of the Litigation Group and we thank him for his many contributions to the firm.”